East End Best Friend

East End Best Friend

BY Emma Tucker, September 4, 2015

After adopting a nine-month-old pup from Battersea, East End Best Friend founder Jessica Tabbah found herself in search of well-crafted products for her new buddy. With a dearth of quality items on offer, Tabbah set up EEBF as an online purveyor of the finest hand-made canine accessories. Designing and making each item herself, Tabbah borrows inspiration from a diverse range of sources including dog behaviour, sensory toys, and even old days quilting.

Do you think there’s an element of craft missing from the world of dog accessories?
I think there’s a temptation to think that all of the attention to detail, hard work and skill that goes into craft is wasted on something made for a dog—but I couldn’t disagree more. A dog makes a home, they are every bit a part of the family, why should the things we chose to have for them be made with any less care or attention that the things we would chose for ourselves?

How are EEBF’s products different from other ‘standard’ items available?
I started East End Best Friend having come home from Battersea Dogs & Cats Home with Roxy, a then nine month old Rottweiler, English Bull Terrier mix. I struggled to find anything durable enough to withstand the enthusiasm of a dog like Roxy that I didn’t immediately want to kick behind the sofa in shame the minute a friend came over to our house. Everything I could find for her was either durable but ugly or lovely to look at but more suitable for a baby to play with than a dog. So I began to try and bridge the gap, to create a collection of toys, blankets and beds that not only could put up with a bit of rough and tumble, but that I would actually want in my home.

How do you approach designing new products?
From the get go I’ve aimed to design my products to tap into existing dog behaviours, be that the need to sit on something comforting and familiar when out and about travelling or a terrier’s desire to shake. I worked with Louise Glazebrook a dog behaviouralist from The Darling Dog Company, looking at dog behaviour and the ways that dogs play and learn. From there we came up with some concepts to trial and test—Roxy road tests everything and I tweak and adjust as I watch how she plays with things. Since having my daughter I’ve also been getting lots of inspiration from baby and children’s sensory toys. Aesthetics wise, I look a lot at homeware trends as well as reinventing historic quilting designs in new ways.

How do you produce the collection?
Everything from East End Best Friend is made by me, it’s handcrafted and hand made but most importantly its tough and tested.

What’s next?
Since taking time off to have my daughter, I’ve been playing catch up. I’m now back and focussing on the business although it is a bit of a juggling act! I’m currently working on a few potential new play products and toy designs—they’re where my passion lies. There’s nothing better than seeing the joy a dog gets from putting a toy you made through its paces. Of course Roxy will also need to be 100% satisfied they are tough enough before launch!

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ISSUE NINE — PRE-ORDER NOW

by Four&Sons

In our Spring issue, there’s much to be in high spirits about. We go behind the scenes of Wes Anderson’s Isle of Dogs, a movie fuelled by dopamine, alpha dogs, and a vast crew of artisans and animators. We hang with a pack of trippy-looking poodles created by artist Susumu Kamijo. We find five mutts who changed history by injecting their human counterparts with a good dose of serotonin. There is plenty of oxytocin going around, too. We celebrate Sulek’s photography of rescued Spanish galgos, Jo Longshurst’s abstract twist on pet portraiture, and Ho Hai Tran’s love of stripes and spots. We travel to Berlin, Toronto, London, and upstate New York to meet creative types whose bonds with their four-legged mates are as heartfelt as they are intoxicating. We ask five foodies to fess up about dog snacks and guilty pleasures that feed body and soul, and we embrace illustrator Apolline Muet’s bear hugs between humans and animals.
All this, and more, inside the covers.

Best of breeds

DODGY DOGS

Everyone knows dogs love cards, as established in Coolidge’s famous series of paintings: “Dogs Playing Poker”. Thanks to Jean Jullien and Yolky Games, dogs now have their very own deck tailored to their traits. Dodgy Dogs is an illustrated card game of our favourite hounds getting up to mischief such as piddling on the floor and stealing sausages. Featuring an abundance of breeds in all shapes and sizes, the deck celebrates a dog’s best and worst habits in Jullien’s humorous and relatable style. A long-time friend of dodgy dogs, his previous works include pooch-related books, t-shirts and even a live-drawing event. Woof!

THE FURRY THINGS

Although felines are usually the focus of Kamwei Fong’s drawings, a few furry mutts and pedigree pooches have started to steal the show. Based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Fong creates highly textured illustrations using a simple black-ink pen. Multiple layers of mini strokes create critters with a tactile and irresistible fluffiness. Their softness and benevolence convey the crux of Fong’s ideals: “Be happy. Be childlike. Be ridiculous.” His commissions include poodles, Pomeranians and, most recently, a dapper Scottie dog strutting its stuff with undeniable zeal.

TEN HUT

The Legowisko Hut from Hello Pets seems more like a cosy tent. Its light-wood struts and felt strips muffle the sounds of the outside world and create a calm atmosphere— with a plush cushion for extra comfort. The open ends allow inhabitants to sprawl or curl up, keep an eye out or get some shut-eye. Hello Pets is based in Poland, where they create innovative dog beds and feed stands using natural materials in pared-back colours to complement your natural style.

WALK THE TALK

Illustrator, animator and director Greg Gunn has taken time out of his busy lifestyle to flop onto the couch and work on a series of illustrations entitled “Year of the Dog Walker”. Using Procreate on his trusty iPad, he makes portraits of fashionable folk and their cool companions in striking block colours. These eight characters are inspired by everyday streetwear and fashion photography, while their dogs—including, but not restricted to, an indignant Doberman, a pair of chipper chihuahuas, and a cute mutt—flaunt their own colour palette and style.

DOG&Co HITS THE WEST COAST

On the cusp between the neighbourhoods of Russian Hill and Polk Gulch in San Francisco resides Batch, a curated homewares store in a refurbished firehouse that changes its decoration each season. This summer it hosts Dog&Co, a brand with a bespoke range of dog-related goods. Browse coats and jumpers, harnesses and leashes, carrycases and beds, and even boots for delicate or sore paws. From Velvet Hippo to WagWear, sniff out a new find from their collection of reputable and beloved brands, as well as a few newcomers.
Photography by @rbradleyphoto

OLD MUTTS

Our devotion to our dogs never falters, especially when they are old and grey. At these times, our homes become an accumulation of precious years spent together, housing worn-out couches, pillows with dog-shaped grooves and blankets chewed to tatters. Grey hairs twang from eyebrows, beards grow rougher, and flecks of white dapple coats. Maria Spann’s humble shots of old dogs sprawled on sofas and curled in beds may not be “show-home” beautiful, but they are an honest reflection of the intimate spaces we share with our beloved pets.

HERE COMES THE HOWELLMAN

Street Dog, a wire-haired terrier, lives in Los Angeles with his human: prolific illustrator, cartoonist, and artist Jay Howell, whose quirky style has tickled our funny bones for nearly a decade. From 21 July 21 to 18 August, his latest collection of surreal drawings and silly (yet sometimes surprisingly sentimental) mixed-media works are on show at LA gallery Subliminal Projects. Alongside these is a limited-edition print release, plus a brand new zine. Howell has a self-confessed deep devotion to the dog, so expect to spot a few chubby and goofy hounds within the pieces boasting mischievous grins and lolling tongues.

LOVE FOR LURVIG

The world’s most popular blue box of affordable interiors, IKEA, has released a new collection tailored for dogs and cats. Under the name Lurvig, you will find bowls, beds, and blankets in tasteful shades of black, green, and white. Understated and adaptable, the IKEA design team worked alongside vets to create pieces for pets that slide seamlessly into a minimalist décor. Our favourite is the small sofa-shaped bed, where your four-legged friend can stretch out their paws after a long day, just like you.

BOW-WOW MEETS BOHO

Beachy chic pieces made from natural materials are now strolling the shorelines thanks to Sebastian Says. The latest collection, ‘A New Bohemian’, is made up of 100 percent cotton-macramé collars, leads in earthy hues and warm merino-wool sweaters.

Founded by Suz Strampic in Elwood, Australia, and inspired by the Aussie beaches, the Sebastian Says fringed-wool jumpers and vegetable-tanned leather collars are made for blustery beach days. The label’s tanning process uses vegetable dyes on Italian leather, leaving products naturally distressed (a smart contrast to the brass detailing). They also incorporate Pinatex—a vegan-friendly leather alternative made from fibres extracted from pineapple leaves—into collars and coats, which have the soft feel of real worn leather, and remain both environmentally friendly and sustainable. For a seamless finish to all outfits, get your dog’s name monogrammed on a collar of your choice. Looks like it’s time to drop the dog tag.